Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1887-08-09
DRAUGHr BLOOD IN GENERAL
PURPOSE" ANIMALS.

lhe question OF now useiut " msJ W
TO introduce drsugh, blood into the gen.
eral purpose animal il one ,ha, hA. been
discussed with grs, acrimony. and. /.
usual In all discussions. there !, a good
deal Of truth in the views advanced by
both sides.
II /. very true ,hA, for certain kinds OF
work the Percheron Norman cannot be
surpassed. These kinds Of work may.
for want Of better term. be called
walking work." ,ha, i'. all kinds OF
work in which brute force applied slowly
/, required, such as brewers wagons, cart
work aud the like. Whether they are
better than blooded stock Of the same
weigh, may be doubted. On the one
hand the Pereheron Is. like the people
among whom be was brough, up. more
phlegma,ie in disposition than the Am
erican blooded horse. lie is broken
without, trouble, And this Is accomplished
the frs, time be !, pa, TO q load. l
think for such drivers a. are usually
found on such work. the Percheron has
certain points Of superiority over blooded
stock. as docili,y Of disposition. aud a
willingness to "drudge" wiihou, resent
men,. I don't. in fact. think ,ha, fof
general disposition, for work purposes the
Temperament, OF the Perchsron horse can
be improved. You rarely see a vicious
animal among them. and they are. for
all ordinary purposes. ready and willing
70 do their best. Whilst. however. 30
much may be conceded to the draushi
brosd. for daush, pnrPO'e'. there the
superiority ends.
IL eanno, be doubted fof a momen,
,ha, for general purpose the bloodsd'
horse has more points OF superiority than
any animal In the world. As . draught
horse. even the thoroughbred or trot,ing.
bred horse ha. certain qualities ,ha, the
fall.booded Percheron has not. A well.
broken and hsavy pair Of thoroughbred
horses can, I believe, with such drivers
|. are found often among the negroes
Of the South. and rarely anywhere else.
ou,work any exeep, the mule. which i',
I believe. the king Of draught animals
A celebrated athlete once told me ,ha.
he had tested bis strength against oil
kind. Of horses in the United States.
giving exhibition. OF pulling on ladder
against them. HesAid tha, OF ell draught
horses he had ever pulled against, the
Percheroas were easiest discouraged. and
the ,horoushbreds the mos, courageous
aud gritty.
The secre, OF pulling sgsins, a team
is to hold ou, longer than they. This
may seem to be q simple statement, but
1. Is fact tha, all horses have wha, may
be called their "discourssemeni point.
This athlete would place that point At
the highest among thoroaghbreds and
the loves, in Pereherons. ! do not wish
to be understood ,ha, the Percherons He
"balky," but quite the contrary.
mean that they are deficient in those
high moral qualities that characterize
the ,horoughbreds. They are deficient
in ,hs, quality thu, KEEP, Longfellow At
Harry Basse,ts shoulder through the
greater part Of three mile heat, though
he had . shoe sticking through his foot,
inaicting the mos, asonizing pain. In
fact, . thoroush bred is more likely to be
wha, Is called "balky" than q dfaugh..
bred horse. hence the latter are more avail
able for drsusht purposes. The balk.
iness in the thoroughbred may proceed
from many more sources than in his lower
bred brother. owing to the superior in.
telligenee OF the thoroughbred, and his
greater readiness to resent abuse.
To appreciate the basis upon which
the value Of the general purpose is
founded, l will lay down the general dc
Ptum. to which think ell resouable men
will willingly yield assent. that horse
which Is useful and available for ten dih'
eent uses Is equal to ten d'tisren'
horses which are useful for one use eaeh'
provided tba, be has the time and oppof-
iuni,y to accomplish sllthese uses In turn.
| know = gentleman who used several hun
dred horses in his business. and who
breed. most Of them from thoroughbred
mares and horses. Now. here Is IN ex.
ample Of my meaning. Here are horses
tha, are suitable for racing and working.
No one will pretend ths, drausht horses
should embrace so wide field a. this.
| Moreover. Il Is . matter OF annual occur
renee that horses ars taken from the Plow
and put to trottiug.
There Was, for instance, the great "plo~
horse" Captain Lewis. that helped to
plow twenty.seven acres OF land he
was taken from the plow and the next
week sold. and the following week COM
menced his career ~ trosting horse, =
career 10 which be was beaten In but one
race, and in the eircui. be Loaf but one
heat, Ia which be was intsffered with
and HE sulky torn to pieces Still be
won the race. Hsrs is horse that wss
a. useful - Psrchsron st the plov, and
besides. had \ value 70 which the Per.